Weekend Update!

It was another busy week here at Hillcrest! Between Start With Hello Week, Advisory, the Club Fair, and Back to School Night, we packed as much as we could into our five-day week! We are grateful for all of our families who were able to join us last night- our teachers loved meeting you!

Next week will be equally as busy with Picture Day, late buses beginning, and the important Community Forum hosted by the Town of Trumbull and the Trumbull Board of Education. Please read everything closely so you do not miss out on any important information.

Enjoy your weekend- Go Hawks!

On September 25th at 7PM, the town of Trumbull will partner with the district to provide a presentation regarding the proposed new Hillcrest Middle School. The presentation will take place in the Hillcrest cafetorium, and community members will also have an opportunity to tour our building. As you begin to think about how you will vote on Election Day, please consider the following:

• Hillcrest Middle School currently does not have a sprinkler system, and is the only building in the school district without any fire suppression system;

• Hillcrest Middle School is currently approximately 80 students over capacity, with at least another 25 students projected to enroll in the upcoming school years;

• Special legislation was passed by the state legislature that increases the reimbursement rate from 24% to 44% for only this upcoming election. This decreases the overall cost of the project from $142,375,000 to $82,580,00.

• This project is the first step in a plan to address all buildings in the district

Please spread the word to have as many people as possible attend this critical event.

Beginning Monday, students are able to take a late bus home that leaves our campus at 3:15. Students are only permitted to stay after school for extra help or a club. They must be with a teacher in order to stay after school. Our late buses do not follow the typical bus routes, and often do not drop off in front of a child's home. Please click here to see the routes for our late buses. If your child is staying after school and plans to take a late bus home, please make sure you review that document to determine where they will be dropped off.

Students who completed the summer reading challenge will be treated to Italian Ice on Tuesday, courtesy of our PTA! Here is the link for the list of ingredients for each flavor.

This week the Technology Integration Specialists held a Parent Portal Power Up workshop. Click here to access the slides and click here to access the recording.

The second and final day of esports tryouts will be after school on Monday in the planetarium. If you are attending tryouts please make sure you have a ride home at 4:30.

Join the Hillcrest PTA and be a vital part of our Hillcrest community! Your involvement helps create a thriving environment for our students and supports programs that make a difference.

Membership Form

We're excited to offer several PTA volunteer opportunities within our school! Please consider contributing your time and skills to support our students and enhance our community.

Together We Can

• Picture Day is Monday, Sept 23rd!

• Please consider volunteering to assist photographers take the best pictures they can at our HMS Picture Day Picture Day
• Coffee with the Principals! Please join us on Tuesday, September 24 from 9-10am at the HMS Media Center for coffee and conversations. This is a great way to find out what is going on at Hillcrest, ask general questions, and stay connected!! Coffee with the Principals - Info
• Bowling Night! Join us for the first student activities event of the school year! Bowling @ Bowlero in Milford on October 18th from 6:30-8:30pm. Register now!! https://hillcrestmspta.membershiptoolkit.com/form/m/305246

For the safety of our students and to avoid any overcrowding issues, students should only ride the bus they are assigned to unless issued an exception by the transportation department. Drivers are instructed not to admit any student to their bus that is not assigned or has not been given an exception from Transportation. Exceptions should be for child care reasons or emergencies and not used for playdates. Using a school bus for anything other than home to school transportation is prohibited.

Limited time offer! Pre-order your yearbook now for $35, and get free icons when you personalize your yearbook. The price will increase on October 12th, so click here to order today!

Our congressional office is participating in the Congressional App Challenge where middle and high school students can participate to show creativity and innovation within our district. We hope with all the changes for the school year, students will be able to participate in this year’s Congressional App Challenge.

• To be eligible to participate in the Congressional App Challenge, you must be a middle or high school student at the time of app submission.
• Students may register as individuals or as teams of up to four. No more than four students are allowed to form a team.
• Students may compete in the district they reside in or the district they attend school in.
• If competing as a team, at least half of the teammates must be eligible to compete in the district in which they are participating.

Submission deadlines are due 12 pm EST, October 24th , 2024.

Please reference our website for additional information.

Congressman Jim Himes Website Link: https://himes.house.gov/congressional-app-challenge

CAC Website Link: https://www.congressionalappchallenge.us/students/

Thank you for your interest, and if you have any questions or concerns, please contact Shindler Auguste

Shindler.auguste@mail.house.gov

1.This week, our staff read this article about micro-inquiry strategies.

2.We are currently reading Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara, which is about the leadership and organizational strategies a restaurateur used to create one of the most successful restaurants in the world.

Join us in earning cash for HMS by using the Box Tops app. It’s an easy way to make a difference. All you have to do is buy Box Tops participating products (like Cheerios!) and scan your grocery receipt. The homeroom that earns the most for each trimester will win a Box Tops Prize Pack!
Get started today at BTFE.com. Use referral code GZ3U8TZ9 when you sign up.

Chromebook insurance is offered annually and can be purchased for $25 through Infinite Campus. This program covers all accidental damage to the Chromebook, or theft of the device, subject to the following: $0 deductible for the first two occurrences per year and $50 deductible per occurrence thereafter. This coverage is effective for the duration of the school year. Sign into Infinite Campus and go to "School Store" >> "Technology" >>"1 to 1 Device Insurance Grades 5-8, 2024-2025." If a family does not elect to purchase the insurance, the family will be responsible for the full cost of replacement parts plus labor, or full replacement cost of the Chromebook. Chromebook insurance does not cover intentional damage or lost devices, chargers or cases. For a full list of costs please click here.

For additional information on the program please refer to the Board of Education 5143.2 Student One-to-One Device Insurance Program. Families experiencing economic hardship may request a fee waiver by contacting the appropriate school administrator and following the process outlined in Board of Education 5138/Pay to Participate Policy

I know this was shared in our Welcome Back letter, but I would like to reiterate the importance of following our procedure. For the beginning and end of the school day, students may ONLY be dropped off or picked up in the back of the building at Door 13. As you are waiting to drop your children off, please do not park in a staff, yellow parking space. Each space will be used in the back of the building and if a family member is parked in a yellow space, staff will not be able to get into the building on time. Thank you for your patience and cooperation!

The traffic in the back parking lot has steadily increased throughout the week, which I am guessing is a result of the delays we have seen with buses. If you are dropping your children off, I would ask that you please remember the following:

1. Please be patient and drive at a slow speed to be mindful of pedestrians in the parking lot,

2. Please keep the traffic flowing by dropping your kids off and pulling through the rest of the line,

3. Please maintain one line of traffic, not two, as to not inadvertently block teachers from parking in their assigned spaces.

4. Please stay to the right with your vehicles, as to not block the driveway.

As a reminder, Agriscience cannot be used a place to drop off or pick up students. Students who are walking home from school are not permitted to cut through the Agriscience campus.

We strive on a daily basis to provide a safe environment for all students, and to promote safe practices with them as well. We will continue to educate students about what safe behavior looks like and what our expectations are for safe behaviors. We see this as a partnership with our families. I ask that you please remind your children to be kind to each other, to keep their hands to themselves, and that there is never an acceptable time or moment to use slurs of any kind. This article from the American Psychological Association gives families tips on how to potentially address way to have these discussions.

Beginning this school year, parents in PK-12 will now have the ability to report full day absences, late arrivals and early dismissals via their Infinite Campus Parent Portal using the mobile app or website in place of calling the school attendance line. Any parent absence requests should be submitted by 9:00 a.m. on the day of the absence. Known absences may be submitted in advance. The absence request feature is ONLY available to parents via the Parent Portal. For specific directions on how to report an absence via the Infinite Campus Portal click here.

Did you know that Hillcrest has its own Instagram page and Twitter feed? Follow us on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/hillcrestmshawks/. Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/HMSTrumbull/ . This is a great resource for families to get a glimpse of day to day life at Hillcrest!

If you think you may be interested in volunteering at some point this year for a Hillcrest event, please fill out this form and return it to the main office. Thank you!

If you are interested in using the Durham Bus tracker app, directions can be found here.

Please see this flyer on helpful tips to navigate the Parent Portal of Infinite Campus.

Principal

Email: brickert@trumbullps.org
Website: https://hms.trumbullps.org/
Location: Hillcrest Middle School, Daniels Farm Road, Trumbull, CT, USA
Phone: 203-452-4466
Twitter: @HMSTrumbull